Convict Criminology in Germany?

• In Event: Convict Criminology Across Spaces

Abstract

While Convict Criminology has received quite some attention in the United States and some European countries, Germany is still rather a blank page in this regard. This is at least true, when using a narrow definition of who can be considered a ‘convict criminologist’. One important reason why no professors of criminology with a lived experience of imprisonment/conviction can be found in Germany is the fact that Germany has almost no professors of criminology at all. Criminology is not an academic discipline in its own right but mostly attached to law faculties.
The study we present, identifies prisoners who have done a(ny) PhD inside prison in Germany, who are in the process of doing it or who had aspirations to do a PhD but experienced obstacles inside prison. We have announced this proposal to prisoners’ magazines all over Germany. As an NGO for prisoners’ rights that is attached to our University as well as a research institution, we expect to get a clear picture of the situation. The study helps to understand obstacles prisoner’s experience in German prisons when they intend to do a doctorate inside as well as ‘success stories’ that can serve as a model for other prisoners.

Authors

• Christine Graebsch, University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Dortmund, Germany

• Melanie Schorsch, Prison Archiv, University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Dortmund